The Myanmar government is opening up opportunities for the private sector to invest in broadcasting. Minister of Information U Ye Htut and journalists meet at Myanmar Journalist Network office in Yangon on October 21, 2014. Photo: Hein Htet/Mizzima

Myanmar’s draft Television and Broadcasting Bill, approved by the upper house of parliament last week, will bring justice to the TV and radio media, according to Minister of Information U Ye Htut.

Pabedan Township Court in Yangon has sentenced three journalists and the two owners of the now-closed Bi Mon Te Nay journal to two years in prison October 16 for a story that upset the Myanmar government.

The five Unity journal employees who were sentenced to ten years imprisonment with hard labour have had their sentence reduced to 7 years imprisonment; it was announced in a statement from the Magway Region High Court on October 2.

A website reporting on Myanmar issues; The Irrawaddy, appeared to have been hacked on October 2, by a group calling itself the ‘Blink Hacker Group’ and claiming that the media group should apologise for a recent article about the visit of controversial Buddhist monk, the Venerable U Wirathu to Sri Lanka.